What Comes Next? Survivorship and Surveillance After Surgery

Friday, March 6, 2026

4:15 PM - 5:15 PM MST

Location:101A-C

CE: 1

Moderator(s)

Alexandra Istl, MD, MPH, FRCSC, FSSO (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor
(1) Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin and 2) MCW Cancer Center,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Valerie Francescutti, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS, (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor of Surgery
Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

This session will explore the multifaceted challenges faced by adolescents and young adults (AYA) with soft tissue sarcoma during the survivorship period. While evidence-based practice is essential in managing this rare and heterogeneous cancer, clinicians also encounter significant psychosocial, socioeconomic, and age-specific barriers—many of which fall outside the traditional scope of surgical oncology training. The session will highlight the unique issues that disproportionately affect AYA patients, including gaps in provider awareness and the impact of current surveillance schedules on patient well-being.

Learning Objectives:

Analyze and delineate the distinct psychosocial challenges confronting patients and providers following curative intent treatment for soft tissue sarcoma.
Evaluate challenges specific to different age groups during the survivorship period after sarcoma surgery, emphasizing findings in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) population.
Formulate strategies to overcome these challenges and optimize care for sarcoma patients of all ages throughout survivorship.
Critically assess current controversies in surveillance schedules for patients with soft tissue sarcoma and synthesize active evidence from the SARveillance trial.

Presentations:

4:20 PM - 4:32 PM MST

Survivorship From a Dual Perspective: Patient and Physician Experience
Faculty: Kurt R. Weiss, MD (he/him/his) – Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
4:32 PM - 4:44 PM MST

Opportunities to Improve Care for Young Adults with Resectable Sarcoma: Perspectives on Age-Specific Barriers in the Peri-operative Period and Survivorship
Faculty: Sara Myers, MD, PhD – The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
4:44 PM - 4:55 PM MST

Keeping Watch after Sarcoma Surgery
Faculty: Samuel J. Ford, MD, PhD – Department of Surgery, University Hospitals Birmingham
4:55 PM - 5:13 PM MST

Q&A